Manufacture of carbonized fuel



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Patented May 1, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,667,906 PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER WILLIAM STRAFFORD, OF HAMPTON-ON-THAMES, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE FUELITE COMPANY LIMITED, OE GRAYS INN, LONDON, ENGLAND, A OOH- PANY ORGANIZED UNDER THE LAWS OF GREAT BRITAIN.

MANUFACTURE OF CARBONIZED FUEL.

No Drawing. Application filed April 21, 1924, Serial N0. 708,013, and in Great'Britain May 15, 1923.

This invention relates to the manufacture of solid fuel from non-coking and-coking coals, that. is to say from mixtures of both kinds of coal selected so that the excess of 5 binding material-in the coking coal may be taken up by and form a binder for the noncokin coal, and has for its object to produce rom such material, a fuel suitable for blast furnace, foundry, industrial or household purposes.

In order to obtain a satisfactory fuel for the urposes aforesaid and from materials of the nature indicated, it is necessary to have regard not only to the nature of the coal employed, the proportion of different.

coals in any given mixture and the temperature of carbonization, but it is also essential that the coking coalcontaining the excess binding material shall be distributed thoroughly evenly throughout the mass of the mixture, the residual products from the heat decomposition of the coking coal form ing a permanent binder for the residual products from the heat decomposition of the non-coking coal.

, According to this invention the coking coal in a finely divided or pulverized condition is formed into a colloidal suspension with water, soft soap and water, cresote or other liquid and in that condition is mixed with the non-coking coal which has been previously reduced to a suitably fine state of division b any suitable means, the mixture being t en consolidated by ramming, stamping or otherwise compressin mould or trough preferably of the s ape in cross section of the oven or retort, and :finall char ed into the oven or retort. The liqui in w ich the finel divided coking coal is dispersed, besides orming atemporary binder for the mass, ensures the even distribution of the finely divided coking coal in the mass in the final mixing.

Suitable proportions for the coal mixture which may be taken as examples are 10 to 20 per cent by weight of coking coal and 80 to 90 per cent by weight of non-cokin coal which forms the bulk of the mixture, at in certain cases the percentage of coking coal be increased up to per centaccording as the coking index of the binding coal vanes.

The coking coal is ground or pulverized of this being to to pass through a mesh of one sixteenth of an inch and less and the non-coking coal is ground to pass through a mesh of one eighth of an inch and less.

In' order to ensure the uniform distribut1on of the coking coal in the mass the bi tuminous coking coal after being ground is formed into a colloidal suspension with water or other li uid as aforesaid the object old the pulverized coking coal 1n suspension. The proportion of added Water or other liquid will vary according to the condition of the coal before treatment, but we find that good results are obtamed by adding the water or other liquid in such proportion that the final mixture of coking and non-coking coal will contain ten to fifteen per cent by weight of the water or other liquid or thereabouts.

The preliminary mixture of coking coal and liquid so produced is added to the previously ground or crushed non-coking coal in the required proportion as aforesaid and evenly distributed throughout the mass by further mixing to coat uniformly the solid particles and bind them together.

The material is then moulded and after being consolidated in the mould by,. ramming or stamping as aforesaid is pushed into a retort where it is carbonized at a temperature of from 500 to 1,200 degrees centigrade. The resulting fuel is suitable for burning either in domestic grates or stoves, or for metallurgical purposes.

1. A process of manufacture of solid fuel from mixtures of non-coking and coking coals comprising first pulverizing the coking coal, then forming the pulverized coking coal into a colloidal suspension with water, adding this colloidal suspension to pulverized non-coking coal, thoroughly intermixing the whole together, consolidating the. mixed mass in a mould and carbonizing the moulded mass in an oven or retort.

2. A process of-manufacture of solid fuel comprising pulverizing non-coking coal, thoroughly intermixing the ulverized'noncoking coal with a colloida suspension of ulverizeducoking coal inwater, consolidating the mass ina mould and carbonizin the moulded mass in a retort, the residue NI products from. the heat decomposition of the coking coal forming a permanent binder for the residual products from the heat decomposition of the non-coking coal.

3. A process of manufacture of solid fuel comprising first forming a colloidal suspension of pulverized coking coal dispersed in a liquid, then intermixing pulverized noncoking coal with said colloidal suspension, the li uid serving to indicatethe even distribution of the pulverized coking coal throughout the mass as described, consolidating the mixed mass in a mould and carbonizing the moulded mass in an oven or retort, the residual products from the heat decomposition of the coking coal forming a permanent binder for the residualprodnote from the heat decomposition of the noncoking coal.

4. A processof manufacture of solid fuel comprising first pulverizing coking coal, dispersing said pulverized coking coal in a liquid so as to form a colloidal suspension,

In testimony whereof he has afiixed his 80 signature.

ALTER WILLIAM STRAF FORD. 

